Combination Forward Grip and Stabilizer

ABSTRACT

A novel forward grip combines the advantages of a forward grip with the stabilization capabilities of a bi-pod into a single shooting accessory for the modern tactical law enforcement or military operator. When the grip is used to stabilize the fore end of the weapon, it prevents the weapon from slipping and sliding due to recoil. The grip also provides relief to the shooter&#39;s grip while under stress by compressing and conforming to the shooter&#39;s hand. Reduction of the movement of the shooter&#39;s sight picture is also provided by reducing the negative effects from weapon recoil. The grip includes a primary finger grip located on the outer perimeter of the grip to allow shooters with large hands to grip the rifle. A secondary finger grip pocket is also provided in the interior section to conform better for shooters with smaller hands. The grip is made from flexible rubber to allow it to conform to against a wide variety of shapes to provide a stable shooting platform without the need to change out to a bi-pod. The secondary finger grip may also be used to hang the rifle on a post when not in use. The grip may be mounted to the standard Picatinny rail and includes two hard locking points. The grip not only stabilizes the weapon&#39;s fore end, eliminating the need for a bi-pod, but also conforms to difficult shooting platforms that prior art hard plastic forward grips cannot accommodate.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to forward grips for use with firearms, and more particularly to a forward grip that provides stability for all common shooting positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rifles have continued to evolve in performance and are now used extensively by the military and police communities as well as sportsmen. As firearms have evolved in design, there has been an associated development of accessories to help improve shooting accuracy. One such accessory, known as the forward grip, was first developed as part of the Thompson submachine gun by John T. Thompson in 1918. Since then, the forward grip accessory has extended its use in other firearms such as modern automatic rifles. U.S. Special Operations (USSOCOM) developed the SOPMOD kit to allow special force operators to configure their weapons to suit individual preferences and mission requirements. Forward grips were included in these SOPMOD kits and are still widely in use today.

Another firearm accessory that has gained widespread acceptance is the Picatinny rail which was developed as an accessory mounting platform. This rail has a hexagonal cross section and multiple transverse slots. Common accessories that are typically used with the Picatinny rail include forward grips, bipods, tripods and electro-optical devices such as laser sights and night vision image intensifiers. The Picatinny rail allows the operator to change out accessories as needed by simply loosening attachment screws to the rail and sliding off the accessory.

On modern rifles, the forward grip helps to give the operator a stable shooting position when standing up. But when the firing position needs to change to either a kneeling, prone or sitting position, the forward grip is no longer of much help. For firing in the kneeling or prone positions, bipods and tripods provide excellent stability. However, there are times in modern combat situations when the operator must quickly switch between all three firing positions. The pace of the combat may simply be too fast to have the time to switch between forward grips and bipod/tripods. Clearly it would be an advantage for the modern military or police operator to have a forward grip that could provide effective stability in all three firing positions.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a first object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that allows operators with both large and small hands to effectively grip the rifle when firing in standing or kneeling positions.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that can be quickly mounted to the rifle using the Picatinny rail method.

It is a third object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that is made of a flexible material to allow the grip to collapse and grip against surfaces such as box or table edges to provide a stable firing position in the kneeling or prone positions.

It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that has an interior aperture to provide a point to hang the rifle vertically.

It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that prevents the weapon from slipping and sliding due to recoil when used to stabilize the fore end of the weapon.

It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that provides relief to the shooter's grip when under stress by compressing and conforming to the shooter's hand.

It is a seventh object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that reduces the movement of the shooter's sight picture by reducing the negative effects of the weapon's recoil.

It is a final object of the present invention to provide a forward grip that not only stabilizes the weapon's forward end, eliminating the need for a bi-pod, but also conforms to challenging and difficult shooting platforms that ridged plastic forwards grip cannot accommodate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a view of an AR-15 rifle with a prior art forward grip.

FIG. 2 is a view of an AR-15 rifle using the forward grip of the present invention mounted to a Picatinny rail.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the forward grip of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the forward grip along line A-A of FIG. 3 to show mounting details to the Picatinny rail.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the forward grip along line B-B of FIG. 3 to show additional mounting details to the Picatinny rail.

FIG. 6 is a view of the forward grip shown compressed against a hard edge for use as a stabilizer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an AR-15 rifle 1000 equipped with a prior art forward grip 100. The prior art forward grip 100 shown is a MAGPUL AFG (advanced forward grip). This forward grip is triangular shaped and made of a durable rigid polymer such as nylon or ABS. The operator places his fingers inside the triangular gap and wraps his thumb over the top surface of the rifle. This grip is easily removed from the Picatinny by removing the locking screws and sliding the grip off of the Pickatinny rail.

Referring first to FIG. 2, an AR-15 rifle 1000 is shown with the forward grip 200 of the present invention. The forward grip 200 provides eight unique capabilities as discussed in the summary, and these capabilities shall be explained by referring next to the drawings.

Referring next to FIG. 3, forward grip 200 provides two separate finger grip sections to allow operators with different sized hands to effectively grip the rifle when firing in standing or kneeling positions. For operators with larger hands, the primary finger grip 205 may be used. A secondary finger grip 220 is provided to accommodate operators with smaller hands. Triangular aperture 215 is provided to increase flexilbility to conform when used as a stabilizer and also provides a convenient hanging point for storing the rifle vertically. These finger grips provide an ergonomic benefit by providing relief to the shooter's hand when gripping under stress by compressing and conforming to the shooter's hand.

Referring next to FIGS. 4 and 5, the forward grip 200 can be quickly and easily mounted to the rifle using the Picatinny rail method. The top surface of the grip has a smooth hexagonal keyed slot 225 that runs along the entire upper surface and easily slides into the Picatinny rail hexagonal mount. Two pan head screws and nuts are used to lock the grip into the desired position on the Picatinny rail to accommodate the shooter's gripping preference. Blind holes 210 and 211 are provides for the screw head and nuts to be seated in and the threaded portion of the screw is located inside hole 212.

Referring finally to FIG. 6, forward grip 200 is made of a flexible rubber material to allow the grip to conform to a large variety of shooting platforms to provide a stable firing position. For example, the edge of box 500 can be used to stabilize the weapon 1000 by compressing grip 200 against the edge. When the grip is used as a forward end stabilizer, it prevents the weapon from slipping and sliding due to recoil. The design of the grip 200 combined with its shock absorbing rubber construction substantially reduces the movement of the shooter's sight picture by reducing the negative effects of the weapon's recoil. The grip 200 not only stabilizes the weapon's forward end, eliminating the need for a bi-pod, but also conforms to challenging and difficult shooting platforms that ridged plastic forwards grip cannot accommodate. This provides the shooter with the capability to move seamlessly between upward, kneeling and prone positions without the need for other accessories. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A forward grip for use in firearms such as rifles and comprising: a body having an arcuate shape; said body being comprised of a flexible rubber or thermoplastic urethane material to provide compressibility and conformance of said forward grip when it is braced against a fixed object in order to provide a stabilized firing position; four finger grooves located on the bottom perimeter of said body; an oval shaped aperture inside said body with the long axis of said oval pointing upward at an angle between 30 and 45 degrees from the horizontal; a triangular aperture inside said body and spaced approximately ½ inch away from said oval aperture; a set of two screw attachment holes located at the distal ends of said body and adjacent to the upper edge of said body; said screw attachment holes providing a means for secure attachment to a mounting rail of a rifle and sized for use with a screw of between ⅛ and ¼ inch diameter; a set of four blind holes located concentric to said screw attachment holes; said blind holes providing a means for secure attachment to a mounting rail of a rifle and sized for use with a pan head screw and nut; a hexagonal grooved slot shaped for mating with Picatinny rails at the top surface of said forward rip and providing a means of adjusting the location of said forward grip on the mounting rail of a rifle: said slot running along the entire upper face of said body.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled) 